Lily Shippen Recruitment Agency | Secrets to getting that first job

A young award-winning entrepreneur wants to give school leavers and graduates a boost in the jobs market with a series of free master classes.

Lily Shippen, who launched her own recruitment company in 2016 when she was just 22, wants to help young people impress employers with her own brand of industry hacks and tips designed to make potential recruits stand out from the crowd.

Says Lily, from Stockport, Cheshire: “Being a young person who has achieved success in a tough industry, I want to give something back by helping other young people get on the first rung of the career ladder.

“So we will be launching a series of master classes from September. They’ll initially be available to school leavers and recent graduates who want to start a career as a business support professional. We’re going to show them those aspects about a person which make future employers take notice. With our help we can make people stand out from the crowd because we know exactly what employers are looking for and a good CV is not always enough. In time, we will be tailoring the classes to more experienced business support professionals.”

The bi-monthly master classes will be held at Lily Shippen HQ, based in WeWork at 1 St Peters Square, Manchester. They will cover CV writing, interviewing techniques, what to expect from roles and how to apply for jobs. Lily and her co-worker Emma Hulbert, who both attended Cheadle Hulme School, will also be revealing the kind of tips only known by experts in the industry.

Lily started her career at the tender age of 18 working for global recruitment firm Robert Walters in London, specialising in placing business support professionals into the financial services sector and working with blue chip companies.

She went solo in 2016 and launched the Manchester office the following year after noticing a gap in the market for a specialist secretarial recruitment agency in the North West.

Lily Shippen work across all industries but only recruit business support professionals, including Receptionists, Team Assistants, Legal Secretaries, Personal Assistants, Private PAs, Executive Assistants and Office Managers.

Says Lily: “We’re different to other agencies in that we meet every single candidate and client that we work with. We are then able to offer a consultative service and ensure that both the employer and employee match perfectly. That personal approach works very well for us.”

Lily received a Highly Commended award in February for Entrepreneur of the Year at the Made in Manchester Awards. The company also received a Customer Service Excellence Award at The Greater Manchester Business Awards.

The company sponsors the Manchester PA Awards, which take place in November at The Point, Old Trafford.

Lily’s top tips on how to get that first job

1. “Any work experience you can get is brilliant. Voluntary work in your summer holidays or a Saturday job demonstrate hard work and independence.”

2. “With Gen Z entering the workforce, employers say they’re receiving more digital résumés that resemble ‘Instagram-friendly palettes of mint green and pastel pink’. Make sure your CV is tailored to the role and company that you are applying to. A CV that is being submitted to a media company should look different to one intended for a financial services firm.”

3. “A recruiter will spend an average of six seconds reviewing a CV. Bullet point responsibilities for your roles, ensure all text is the same size and font and ensure it is no longer than three pages.”

4. Ask a friend or family member to check your CV for any grammar mistakes.”

5. Create a LinkedIn profile and ensure that you have a clear photo (no wine in hand and no filters!). Add your work experience to your LinkedIn profile, ensuring that the dates match those on your CV.”

6. “Do your research before an interview and always make sure that your answers are aligned to the job spec advertised.”